02.
“Stephen Foster’s music is the trunk of the tree of American song, sturdy with songs we love to sing,” says Thomas Hampson. In this program we explore Foster’s music, the varied artistic roots he drew from, and the musical branches that grew from his work.
Related Educational ResourcesAdditional music included in this program:
Le Banjo
Louis Moreau Gottschalk
Philip Martin, piano
Hyperion 66459
Symphony #2, fifth movement
Charles Ives
New York Philharmonic; Leonard Bernstein, conductor
Sony Classical 60202
Oft in the Stilly Night
Traditional Irish tune arranged by John Stevenson / Thomas Moore
Maggie Teyte, soprano
Pearl 9326
Tu che a Dio spiegasti l’ali
from Lucia di Lammermoor
Gaetano Donizetti / Salvatore Cammarano after Sir Walter Scott
José Carreras, tenor; New Philharmonia Orchestra/Jesús López-Cobos
London 470421
Swanee River Rock
Ray Charles, based on Stephen Foster / Stephen Foster
Ray Charles, singer
The Best of Ray Charles: The Atlantic Years, Rhino Records
Swanee
George Gershwin, based on Stephen Foster / Irving Caesar
Al Jolson, singer
PIMO 6044
Song listings with composer / poet, performers, CD label, and CD number:
Open Thy Lattice, Love
Stephen Foster
Stephen Foster
Thomas Hampson, baritone, and Craig Rutenberg, piano
Record#: EMI 54621 (Thomas Hampson, baritone; Jay Ungar, mandolin; Molly Mason, bass; David Alpher, piano)
Oh! Susanna
Stephen Foster
Stephen Foster
Record#: Ballad of America, Volume 2 (Matthew Sabatella and the Rambling String Band)
Camptown Races
Stephen Foster
Stephen Foster
Record#: Smithsonian Folkways American Favorite Ballads Volume 2 SFW40151 (Pete Seeger, singer and guitar)
Ah! May the Red Rose Live Alway!
Stephen Foster
Stephen Foster
Record#: Angel 54621 (Thomas Hampson, baritone; Jay Ungar, violin; Molly Mason, bass and guitar; David Alpher, piano)
Jeanie With the Light Brown Hair
Stephen Foster
Stephen Foster
Record#: London 417 242 (Marilyn Horne, mezzo-soprano; Osian Ellis, harp)
Nelly was a Lady
Stephen Foster
Stephen Foster
Record#: THM 5432 (Thomas Hampson, baritone; Craig Rutenberg, piano)
Old Folks at Home
Stephen Foster
Stephen Foster
Record#: Music & Arts 4926 (Arthur Woodley, baritone; Collegiate Chorale and Harmonie Ensemble, Steven Richman, conductor)
Comrades, Fill No Glass For Me
Stephen Foster
Stephen Foster
Record#: Angel 54621 (Thomas Hampson, baritone; Jay Ungar, violin; Molly Mason, bass and guitar; David Alpher, piano)
Hard Times Come Again No More
Stephen Foster
Stephen Foster
Record#: Six Degrees/Island; album: Heritage (Willie Nelson, singer and guitar; Darol Anger, fiddle; David Grisman, mandolin; Phillip Aaberg, keyboard)
Beautiful Dreamer
Stephen Foster
Stephen Foster
Record#: Angel 54621 (Thomas Hampson, baritone; Jay Ungar, violin; Molly Mason, bass and guitar; David Alpher, piano)
Songs about real and fictional characters in American history, including poets, preachers, and a president. The program introduces topics heard throughout the series.
Whitman, the “Bard of Democracy,” was the founder of a new American language. With music built deep into his poetry, it’s no surprise that Whitman has been a beacon for American composers.
